On July 19, 2017, Frontier Tech Talk is holding its first panel discussion of the summer, Driving Innovation and Reach.This one is about the space race.The event will take place from 6pm to 8:30pm at the Burlingame offices of law firm Carr-McClellan at 216 Park Road.For tickets, please go to https://eventbrite.com/e/frontier-tech-talk-driving-innovation-and-reach-tickets-35988186635 or do an internet search for “Frontier Tech Talk July 19”.Philippine-focused STAC, short for Science and Technology Advisory Council, and Carr-McClellan are co-sponsoring the event.

The guest speakers include Bea Querido-Rico and Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom.Of course, I have to mention this detail:both Bea and Emeline are Filipinas.

Paat-Dahlstrom, flying back to the Bay Area from her current base in New Zealand, has been active in the space-focused start up world, consulting and working for startups involved in developing commercial transport to the Moon.She will speak about her efforts in engaging emerging countries in space.

Querido-Rico is an engineer by training and served most recently as program manager for the Port of Seattle, having worked previously at Boeing and Lockheed Martin, among other places.She received a Masters from the MIT-Zaragoza International Logistics Program.Querido-Rico left her position at the Port of Seattle in May of 2017 to run for the position of Port Commissioner.

What does the Port of Seattle do, you may wonder.On those rare Seattle days when heavy precipitation is not obscuring your vision (or spirits), you may notice the vast corrugated coastline in and around the city, home to harbors and ports, marinas and fishermens’ terminals.The Port of Seattle runs these as well as the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.There is a gap, so goes the argument from parties close to the candidate, between the Port’s current development efforts and the local aerospace industry that is 1300 strong in the Seattle area. Querido-Rico proposes to bridge this gap between the government’s imagination and the vision of private industry.She has begun to gain support from space venture capitalists as a result.

Work on space-focused businesses has been underway for quite some time.Indeed, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, with its ambitions of putting man on Mars, has been busy launching satellites into orbit, a more practical pursuit it doesn’t advertise.However, impediments to prolific space travel still exist.Shocking, right?Not the least issue is radiation poisoning.Without the protection given to us by the Earth’s atmosphere, prolonged exposure to the Sun’s rays on the Moon or Mars may result in radiation exposure that has not yet been understood.The same is true for repeated trips to and from these destinations.Another issue is the long-term effects of zero gravity, which can deteriorate muscle mass and bone density.

None of these would be deal killers, though, not for me.If presented with an opportunity to visit the Moon on a short trip, particularly if I’m allowed to bring my pogo stick, I would sign the waiver.Hopefully, these matters and more will be covered on Wednesday.So please get your tickets and please support Bea Querido-Rico in her political ambitions.We don’t have enough Filipinos in office in the United States.We really don’t.